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D. T. ROBINSON. Thill Coupling.

' Patented June 29,1880.

m/enfar 130L280,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-- DANIEL T. ROBINSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND GEORGE W. WILKINSON, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,470, dated June 29, 1880.

Application filed September 17, 1879.

To all whom it may concern: bent together at a right angle to form a lip, Be it known that I, DANIEL '1. ROBINSON, of I, which overlaps the bottom of the rear part Boston, count-y of Suffolk, and State of Massaof the lug, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

chusetts, have invented certain new and use- The spring H is crowded between the rear 5 ful Improvements in Thill-Oouplings, of which side of the hook D and the adjacent part of 55 the following is a specification. the lug, and exerts its stress to force the hook The nature of this invention consists in the against and in connection with the pivot E peculiar construction of parts, as hereinafter and prevent accidental disengagement of the described-that is, in a hook secured to the two. The spring also serves to prevent ratrear end of the thill and adapted to straddle tling between the thill and lug. 6o and be forced forward partially beneath the To remove the thill from the axle it is only pivot of the clip, and retained in this position necessary to pry the lip away from the shoulby a yoke-spring which exerts its stress beder of the lug and lift the spring out of its tween the hook and the body of the clip and resting-place, when the hook D may be readis independent of or removable from such clip ily disengaged from the pivot. 65 and hook, the spring having a lip upon its To apply the thill the hook is placed about lower end to engage or extend below the said the pivot, and the spring crowded down heclip,and bearin g at top and bottom only against tween such hook and the faceof the lug until the front face of the clip, which is concave for the lips of the spring pass over the shoulder this purpose, and the whole operating as hereof the lug. 7o inafter stated. It will be seen that the rear portion of the The drawings accompanying this specificalug is sufficiently deep to provide a bearing tion represent, in Figure 1, a central and lonfor the top and bottom of the spring and above gitudinal section, and in Fig. 2 a plan, of a and below the pivot of the thill, and that the thill-coupling embodying my invention. face of the lug is concave to permit of the req- In such drawings, the rear end of a thill or uisite play of said spring. shaft is shown at A, the forward axle of a It will also be seen that the space between wheeled vehicle at B, and the usual clip, which the spring and top of the lug is greater than encircles the axle and constitutes the means at bottom, in order that the spring shall wedge 0 of securing the thill to the latter, at G, such tightly into place. If the hook were permitted parts being constructed as heretofore. too large a movement or rotation upon its In carrying my invention into practice, I pivot in a downward direction it might escape secure to the rear end of each thill a hook, D, from engagement with the pivot notwithstandsuch book being secured to the thill in any ing the spring. To prevent this I.form upon 5 suitable manner, and projecting downward in the rear lower corner of the hook a lip, a, such manner as to hook over and engage a which will abut against the spring should an horizontal pivot, E, which is secured within attempt be made to lower the thill to too thelugF,that receives the hook,thepivot servgreat an extent, and prevent further moveing to connect the thill to the lug and permit ment in this direction between the hook and 0 of the necessary movement of such thill. pivot. It will thus be seen that the spring The lug F is confined to the under side of serves to prevent disengagement of the hook the axle B by means of the prongs of the clip and lug and to obviate rattling between the O, which pass through such lug and are pro two, while, by removing said spring, the two vided with nuts, which screw up against its may be readily disengaged.

45 under side. I claim To prevent escape of the thill from en gagc- 1. In thill-couplings, a hook secured to the ment with the pivot I employ a spring, (shown rear end of the thill and adapted to straddle at H in the drawings,) such spring being comand be forced forward partially beneath the posed of a flat band of steel doubled at the pivot of the clip, and retained in this position 50 middle, with its lower ends abutting and by a yoke-spring which exerts its stress between the hook and the body of the clip and and fashioned into a yoke form from a band of is independent of or removable from such clip, metal, and bearing a lip upon one end to en- 10 the spring having a lip upon its lower end to gage the clip, substantially as explained. engage or extend below the said clip, and bear- 5 ing at top and bottom only against the front DANIEL ROBINSON face of the clip, and the whole operating sub- Witnesses: stantially as explained. F. CURTIS,

2. The spring, as removable from the clip, H. E. LODGE. 

